Zabou and the London street art trails - Tottenham and Angel

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It was time for another long run to collect more Zabou street art sightings. Four were available in north and central London so I mapped out a route that would take me up to Tottenham and back down to Angel; roughly a marathon distance.

Rather than run through the city I chose to use the River Lea as a more attractive route to N11. Once through the Greenwich tunnel and Canary Wharf I joined the Lea Trail. The rain was falling hard and I was soon soaked through. Hard to think that a week before we had been in the middle of a heatwave.

Soon I arrived in the Olympic Park and took a small detour to visit the ground of Leyton Orient FC. A shortcut through Leyton Jubilee Park brought me back to the trail at Hackney Marshes. The rain had now eased and the next section of the river really is stunning. The reed beds and reservoirs, cormorants and narrow boats giving the feeling that you are in the middle of the countryside.

At Tottenham Marshes I turned into Tottenham Hale and found the A10 which I followed to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It is an impressive sight gleaming and towering over the main road. It is in direct contrast to the small and rather shabby looking Community Sports Centre over the road. But this isn't the place for politics.

Just a few hundred metres away are two beautiful pieces by Zabou. The first is called I miss you and was painted in 2020 as a response to the Covid pandemic. It shows a couple facing one another, one with a face mask, their hands touching through a glass window.

I miss you 2020 11x7m

The second was around the corner in an alleyway filled with pieces by other artists. The Zabou work is called The Queen's Gambit and shows Beth, the lead character in the TV programme of the same name played by Anya Taylor Joy.

The Queen's Gambit 2021 7x3m

Here are some of the other pieces nearby:







Time for a coffee and cake. Refreshed I headed south along the A10 to the Seven Sisters Road which would take me to The Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal FC. A couple of miles further on was Angel and two more Zabou pieces.

Becca is a mural painted in collaboration with the homeless charity Centrepoint. Here is Zabou's explanation of why she painted it: 

"To me, Becca is one of these invisible heroes who has overcome a very dark experience with so much strength, and is now making a positive impact around her. She found herself without a roof at 14 after her dad committed suicide and her grandmother kicked her out (after finding out she was gay). She lived on the streets while going to school, then in a hostel where she discovered the Homeless Street Football programme. Football helped her found a way out: she excelled in it, got selected for the Homeless World Cup and she’s been volunteering as a coach since."

Becca 2019 2x3m

A few streets away is The Bill Murray pub and Angel Comedy Club where Zabou has painted a number of famous faces. Can you name all six comedians?





Having achieved my aim I ran down to the Thames arriving at St Paul's Cathedral as I reached 26.2 miles. I had a choice. Run to the train station at London Bridge or run home. Naturally I ran home making the total 33 miles.

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